Urinary catheters may be used to drain urine from the bladder of a catheterized individual. One known catheter, the Foley catheter, includes a balloon located near the tip of a tube sized to pass through the urethra. Once the tip is within the bladder, the balloon is filled with fluid to retain the tip in the bladder. Because the balloon must be bulky in order to retain the catheter tip, many patients experience discomfort when catheterized particularly if the balloon contacts the trigone, which is very sensitive. Moreover, the filled balloon may injure the patient if traumatically withdrawn from the bladder.
There is a need for a catheter that may be disposed within a bladder and retained without retention by a bulky fluid filled balloon. Additionally, there is a need for a catheter that may be inserted and retained in a known orientation, thereby reducing contact with the trigone of the catheterized individual.